Task force to tackle illegal maritime wildlife trade

Arusha. A Regional training aimed at bolstering capacity of enforcement officers to combat illegal transcontinental maritime wildlife trade between Asia and Africa has successfully been concluded.

The five-day multiagency training, brought together participants from various law enforcement agencies including wildlife, forestry, police, prosecution, customs and other conservation bodies in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.

Speaking in Arusha the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of the United Republic of Tanzania, Mr Robert Mande, Assistant Director of the Tanzania Wildlife Division and Chairperson of the National Task Force Anti-poaching (NTAP), said that the program brings together participants drawn from the three East African countries to effectively promote international cooperation on financial environmental crime investigations in the region.

The Director for Lusaka Agreement Task Force (LATF), Edward Phiri said the team of more than 25 participants is undergoing training sessions, with the aim of reducing or ultimately eradicating maritime trafficking of wildlife between Africa and Asia.

 He said that the solution to effectively combat wildlife crime is anchored on best practices in cooperative law enforcement, which are critical to proactive, well-planned and more purposeful operations.

 Tanzania is one of the seven member states to the Lusaka Agreement on Cooperative Enforcement Operations Directed at Illegal Trade in Wild Fauna and Flora, a treaty which also includes Kenya, Uganda, Lesotho, Liberia, Zambia, and Congo Brazzaville and three signatories namely Ethiopia, Eswatini and South Africa.

Mr. Rod Khattabi, a former US Department of Homeland Security (HSI) Federal Agent and currently the Chief Accountability Officer and Justice Initiative Director at Grace Farms Foundation, stated that the public-private partnership is the most promising model for achieving substantive results in disrupting transnational organized crime syndicates involved in environmental crimes.

 “In partnering with LATF, US Department of Homeland Security - HSI and its Global Trade Division, UNDP, USAID, University of Washington-Seattle, and GEF we will maximize our assets in achieving successful outcomes”, he added.

Reports indicate that illegal wildlife trade is among the five most lucrative illicit trafficking globally and estimated to be worth up to $23 billion annually, and counting.

The program was organized by Grace Farms Foundation (USA), Lusaka Agreement Task Force, US Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the University of Washington in Seattle USA.

 It is being funded by the Global Wildlife Program, Grace Farms Foundation, GEF, UNDP and USAID. This capacity building workshop is the second in a series which started in Mombasa, Kenya.

Instructors Edward Phiri (Director, LATF), Rod Khattabi (Director, Grace Farms Foundation) and Jose Goyco (HSI Senior Special Agent) during the training session

The key wildlife species that are targeted by wildlife criminals include elephants, rhinos, pangolins, various bird species, timber and other assorted plants being smuggled out of the African continent, mainly destined to the Asian markets.